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What the Scariest Story in the Bible Taught Me About Love
Some kids grow up listening to lullabies. I grew up listening to songs about hell — and who would and wouldn’t end up there. When I was four — maybe five — my sister used to play records by a...
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How Many Good People Are There in the World?
In Chicago, a warmhearted woman named Carol CC Miller wanted to embrace the world, so she created Global Free Hugs Weekend, in 2008, to be held on the first Saturday and Sunday in May. I jumped on...
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Chasing Revival — And Missing God
We Were Sure Revival Was Coming When I was a teenager, we used to hike up the hill behind the reservoir — past where the power lines ended — to the water tower that loomed over our city like a...
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What the Church Got Wrong About Dating
It’s amazing how a single sentence in an email can resurrect a whole era of spiritual confusion. I got the email the other day, and it left me both heartbroken and a little amused — the kind of...
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No, the Right Doesn’t Hate the New Pope. They Hate His Jesus.
The Catholic Church chose Robert Prevost as its new pope in the wake of the recent passing of Pope Francis. And let’s just say, there was no joy in MAGAville at the news. In a matter of minutes after...
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A Closer Look at the Hardest Thing Jesus Ever Said
I was in youth group when I first heard someone use the Bible to justify cutting off your family. One of the leaders was talking to a kid whose parents weren’t Christians and didn’t like that he was...
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Why Good Pastors Keep Getting Pushed Out of the Church
My friend was a good pastor. The kind you want at your bedside when you’re sick, or sitting quietly next to you when the answers don’t come. He didn’t chase a platform. He didn’t need applause. He...
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Beyond Dogma: Can Compassion Exist Without Compromise?
Yes, here comes the atheist talking about religious stuff again. A pastor friend of mine shared this on Facebook: You can still remain rooted in your core beliefs and convictions while walking in love,...
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Why State-Backed Christianity Is Driving People Away From Jesus
A couple of years ago, I moved back to the town where I grew up after two decades of living elsewhere. I felt waves of nostalgia as I showed my wife and children around. “This is where I went to...
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Jesus, Healthcare, and Life (over Death)
A certain U.S. Senator was talking to a crowd about a new bill that could strip healthcare from millions of needy people. The bill would affect Medicaid, a public health program for individuals with...
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The Problem With Megachurches
As soon as I got my driver’s license, I ditched my parents’ small, traditional church for something that felt a whole lot more exciting: a booming megachurch across town. It was the place to be. Smoke...
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Spider-Man’s Lessons for Us All on the Responsibility To Use Our Power, Great...
By George Tsakiridis, South Dakota State University As a child, I watched reruns of the 1967 Spider-Man cartoon on television. I was drawn to the action and colors and, of course, the catchy tune....
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The City Where Jesus Did No Miracles
I was driving down the highway one afternoon, half-distracted by traffic and the kind of low-grade existential fatigue that settles in after a long week, when I saw it: a massive billboard advertising...
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I Think the Devil Might Have a Point
I grew up in the kind of church where Satan got almost as much airtime as Jesus. We didn’t just believe in spiritual warfare — we lived like it was an everyday threat. Demons were behind everything:...
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Ten Lies the Church Taught Me About Faith, God, and Myself
For most of my teenage years, I measured the health of my relationship with God by two things: whether I’d sworn out loud and whether I’d managed to keep my hands out of my pants. That was it. That was...
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Let’s Talk About the Afterlife We Actually Hope For
When I was seven, my Sunday School teacher — Mrs. Spencer — asked us to draw what we thought heaven looked like. She wore a floral blouse buttoned all the way to the top and always smelled faintly of...
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I Am Not Into ‘Converting’ Anyone
As part of my Christian faith, I think it’s important to love others as Christ loved us. I also think that we are supposed to share our faith with others. However, I think people misunderstand what...
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What if the Collapse of Church Attendance Is Actually a Gift?
When I moved back to my hometown, I found my childhood church for sale. There it was — the place where I sang in the kids’ choir, learned how to pray, and sat in pews with my legs dangling above the...
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The Strange Story Where Jesus Loses His Cool — And Why It Matters
The other night, I ducked out to the shops to grab one thing. Just one. Dinner was already underway, the kids were hovering like vultures, and I was halfway through cooking when I realized we were...
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I Tried to Date as a Christian. It Didn’t End Well.
Back in my late teens and early twenties, I really wanted a family. I wanted a Christian man, a bunch of kids, love and respect, and a life to build. I didn’t want things handed to me; I wanted to...
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